Friday, February 16, 2018

Micro Systems Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded an $81,077,002 firm-fixed-price contract to acquire and/or repair essential part-numbered components to support the operation and maintenance of all versions of the Army Ground Aerial Target Control System, target interface control units, and associated ancillary equipment. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 15, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-18-D-0021). (Source: DoD, 02/15/18)

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines said on Thursday it will go ahead with plans to buy some Canadian-made CSeries jets from Bombardier this year after a U.S. trade ruling stopped the United States from imposing steep duties on the aircraft. It will start taking deliveries this year of the 75 CSeries jets from a plant in Quebec. Production is set to begin for U.S. customers at an Airbus plant in Mobile, Ala., after Airbus closes a deal this year to acquire a majority stake in the CSeries program. "Delta still intends to take as many deliveries as possible from the new Airbus/Bombardier facility in Mobile, Ala., as soon as that facility is up and running," the carrier said. On Wednesday, the International Trade Commission said it rejected duties on the CSeries in part because Boeing lost no revenue during the Delta deal. (Source: Reuters, 02/15/18)

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

The February issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter is now available. The four-page cover story is about Alabama's considerable aerospace footprint, from Huntsville to Mobile and places in between. Inside there's a story about a lecture in Pensacola, Fla., that focused on concerns that intelligent systems may one day be a threat to humanity. There's also an article about an historic test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss., that next year will test the core stage of NASA's Space Launch System, which will eventually return astronauts to deep space. (Source: GCAC Newsletter, 02/14/18)

ASES LLC, doing business as Field Aerospace, Oklahoma City, Okla., has been awarded an $18,500,038 firm-fixed-price contract for the T-1A Avionics Modification program. This contract provides for the replacement of the avionics suite in the T-1A fleet of 178 aircraft, 16 operational flight trainers, and 14 part task trainers. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City; Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.; Vance Air Force Base, Okla.; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.. Work is expected to be complete by Aug. 14, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and eight offers were received. Fiscal 2017 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $18,500,038 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-18-C-0002). (Source: DoD, 02/14/18)

Monday, February 12, 2018

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – There's been a "good bit of interest" in an effort to create a research and industrial park bordering Stennis Space Center (SSC), with at least 16 entities and 58 individuals expressing interest. That's according to Randy Galloway, deputy director of the NASA rocket engine test facility, who talked about the proposed Enterprise Park during a question-and-answer session with traditional and social media Monday. Galloway said the park was discussed with interested parties during a Feb. 7 Industry Day event. In December NASA opened a search for a non-federal partner to lead in development of a 1,100-acre technology corridor in the first phase of a multi-phase project. Enterprise Park would be for companies that want to work with NASA or other SSC tenants but don't want to be six or seven miles away or don't want to go through the security measures required at SSC. The 1,100 acres, identified as the most development-ready, is on the northern edge of the 13,800-acre secured area and would include property both inside and outside the security perimeter. "I believe we can have something that's dynamic and appealing and a good source of long-term jobs for this community," Galloway said about the proposed park. (Source: GCAC, 02/12/18) Previous

Friday, February 9, 2018

Col. Michael E. Martin of the 24th Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla., who was selected earlier this week for the grade of brigadier general, is being assigned as director, Integrated Resilience Office, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. The announcement was made by the office of the Air Force chief of staff. (Source: DoD, 02/09/18)

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Air Force has grounded some training flights at Naval Air Station Pensacola because of hypoxia-related issues experienced by pilots at other bases flying T-6 Texan II A aircraft. The Pensacola News Journal reports that Randy Martin, a spokesman for the San Antonio-based 12th Flying Squadron, said the Air Force has 22 of the planes at NAS Pensacola. The plens are used to train combat systems officers as part of its 479th Fighter Group at the Navy base. Earlier this month the Air Force grounded its entire fleet of T-6 Texan II A planes after pilots experienced hypoxia due to lack of oxygen in flight. Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., flies a different version of the T-6 Texan II. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 02/08/18)

MOBILE, Ala. – Officials from Dublin-based MAAS Aviation and the Atlanta-based consul general of Ireland were in Mobile Thursday. The consul, Shane Stephens, was with a delegation of European representatives to visit the Gulf Coast to celebrate European investments in this part of the world. MAAS set up shop at the Mobile Aeroplex to paint planes for the Airbus assembly line. Later it built another paint facility for after-market customers. Just a year after breaking ground, it’s repainted some 40 planes. MAAS officials said they are excited about the growth potential of the Mobile area. (Sources: al.com, WALA-TV, WKRG-TV, 02/08/18)

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., was the winner in the medium-sized shore command category of the 2017 Navy Community Service Environmental Stewardship Flagship awards. The awards program highlights commands and ships that exhibit strong commitment to environmental stewardship via volunteer service projects. Naval Air Technical Training Center Pensacola, Fla., was an honorable mention in the large shore command category. The Environmental Stewardship Flagship is one of five flagships that comprise the Navy Community Service program. The four remaining flagships include Personal Excellence Partnership, Project Good Neighbor, Campaign Drug Free and Health, Safety and Fitness. The deputy chief of naval operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics announced the winners. (Source: Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environment Readiness Division, 02/08/18)

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a $20,970,424 contract for the procurement of GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrators. Work will be performed in St. Louis and is expected to be complete by July 31, 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2016 production funds in the amount of $20,970,424 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8681-18-C-0038). (Source: DoD, 02/08/18)

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Air Force Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Becklund has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Becklund is currently serving as the special assistant to the commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. (Source: DoD, 02/07/18)

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. – The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center announced its annual award winners Jan. 25. Winners will compete at the next level for Air Force Materiel Command’s annual awards. AFNWC 2017 annual award winners included Field Grade Officer of the Year, Maj. Kenton Feldman and Category IV Civilian of the Year, Wesley Treadway, both of the Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The center is responsible for synchronizing all aspects of nuclear materiel management on behalf of the AF’s materiel command in direct support of the AF Global Strike Command. Headquartered at Kirtland, the center has some 1,100 personnel assigned to 17 locations worldwide, including Eglin. (Source: Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, 02/06/18)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Falcon Heavy, the most powerful commercial rocket in the world, roared skyward Tuesday afternoon atop a pillar of smoke in a visually spectacular launch. But that was just the beginning. Two of the three boosters made vertical landings back at Kennedy Space Center, while the third booster scheduled to land on a drone ship hit the ocean about 100 yards from the ship. It was the most ambitious project so far for California-based SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. The 23-story rocket was built with three of the company's proven Falcon 9 rockets, providing a total of 27 Merlin engines that generated a combined 5 million pounds of thrust. It lifted an unusual cargo into orbit. It was Musk’s Tesla Roadster with a dummy in the driver’s seat. The end goal is that the car would drift in space in an orbit around the sun. Falcon Heavy is more powerful and can lift more weight than the biggest rockets offered by either United Launch Alliance or Arianespace. It was a crucial win for commercial space exploration. A recent report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch forecast the size of the space industry octupling over the next three decades to at least $2.7 trillion. (Sources: including CNBC, BBC, Business Insider, 02/06/18) Gulf Coast note: SpaceX is using Stennis Space Center, Miss., to develop its next generation Raptor engines.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

UTC Aerospace Systems recently delivered the first two fully integrated propulsion systems for the Airbus 320neo to the Airbus final assembly line in Mobile, Ala. The newly expanded UTC facility in Foley, Ala., integrated the full nacelle system, designed and built by UTC Aerospace Systems, with the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM Geared Turbofan engine (GTF). In 2011, Airbus selected UTC Aerospace Systems to design, manufacture and support the full nacelle system for the A320neo GTF engines for the life of the program. In support of the Airbus A320neo program, UTC Aerospace System elected to expand the Foley campus to meet customer demand. The 80,000 square foot expansion began operations in late 2017. "This first for our Foley facility comes on the heels of similar A320neo propulsion systems deliveries from our plants in Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; and, more recently, Tianjin, China," said UTC Aerospace Systems – Aerostructures President Marc Duvall. "Our team in Foley delivered these initial units on time, and look forward to doing the same as the site ramps up to deliver thousands of A320neo nacelles over the life of the program." (Sources: UTC via PRNewswire, Markets Insider, 02/05/18) The UTC plant in Foley is about an hour from the Airbus assembly line.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — The Florida Department if Environmental Protection announced Friday that 2,607 gallons of Jet-A fuel spilled at Eglin Air Force Base. The spill occurred in Building 92 on Jan. 5 after a switch box froze, activating fuel pumps and overfilling an underground storage tank. Absorbents were put in place to soak up the fuel and the Emergency Response Contractor cleaned the area. Jet-A fuel costs about $5 per gallon. (Source: News Herald, 02/03/18)

Friday, February 2, 2018

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $147,963,919 for modification P00033 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-12-C-0070). This modification provides for the procurement of Israel-unique weapons certification, modification kits, and electronic warfare analysis in support of the F-35 Lightning II Israel system design and development to provide 3F+ fleet capability for the government of Israel under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. (37.1 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (17.6 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (17.2 percent); Nashua, N.H. (10.3 percent); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (9.8 percent); South Bend, Ind. (6.7 percent); St. Louis, Mo. (1.1 percent); and Wallingford, Conn. (0.2 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $147,963,919 will be obligated at time of award. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/02/18) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

KILN, Miss. – A joint venture of Woolpert and Optimal GEO, WMR-532, recently hosted a training session on the Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) program for Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) personnel. This session, which took place over five days at Stennis International Airport, was supported by the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetric Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX), Teledyne Optech and the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. WMR-532 is providing operations and maintenance of airborne coastal mapping and charting sensors in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and NAVOCEANO worldwide, as well as technical support to JALBTCX. CZMIL is a USACE and JALBTCX program designed to develop and evaluate a sensor for mapping and charting the coastal zone to improve performance and data products. (Source: PRNewswire, 02/01/18)

NEW ORLEANS – Construction has officially begun on the spaceship that will return astronauts to the Moon and beyond. Lockheed Martin technicians and engineers at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in East New Orleans welded the first two components of the Orion crew module capsule for Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2), the first Orion flight with astronauts on board. This flight will be launched atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. EM-1, which will be used for an uncrewed mission, was assembled at Michoud and is now in Florida at Kennedy Space Center for final work. The main structure of the crew module, or pressure vessel, is comprised of seven large machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together. The first weld joined the forward bulkhead with the tunnel section to create the top of the spacecraft. The pressure vessel capsule will continue to be built out over the spring and summer in Michoud incorporating the three cone panels, the large barrel and the aft bulkhead. Once completed in September, it will be shipped to the Kennedy Space Center where the Lockheed Martin team will perform assembly and test of the EM-2 spacecraft. (Source: PRNewswire, 02/01/18) The RS-25 engines for SLS are being tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.